The Latest Episode of Blender Today brings news on Blender 5.0 Alpha, highlighting crucial advancements in rendering, animation, and UI. Discover key features like ACES 2.0, Geometry Nodes Bundles, and a revolutionary Sequencer, alongside the stable 4.5.2 LTS release.
Blender users, get ready! The latest edition of Blender Today, episode 264, hosted by Senior Designer Pablo Vazquez, delivers a comprehensive overview of the exciting developments brewing for Blender 5.0 Alpha. With the beta release just around the corner on October 1st, and the Blender Conference having recently concluded, there’s a lot to unpack. This episode, streamed live from Blender HQ, showcases the relentless innovation driving the future of this powerful open-source 3D suite.
Community & Conference Buzz
Pablo kicked off the session with news from the Blender community. The Blender Conference, held for the first time in September, was a resounding success, with tickets and even the waiting list completely sold out. For those who missed out, all presentations will be made available on the official Blender YouTube channel after editing. Viewers are also encouraged to cast their votes for the annual Susan Awards (animation, design, shorts) this week, using their Blender ID. Furthermore, fans can now grab new official Blender merch, designed by Caft and featuring Suzanne the monkey in various themed designs, from store.blender.org. A portion of these sales directly supports Blender development, allowing you to contribute while showing your love for the software.
Stable Foundations: Blender 4.5.2 LTS
Before diving into the bleeding edge, it’s crucial to acknowledge the release of Blender 4.5.2 LTS (Long Term Support). This release primarily focuses on bug fixes and is highly recommended for production users. Given the significant, compatibility-breaking changes expected in Blender 5.0, sticking with the stable LTS version for ongoing projects is a wise choice. It ensures a robust and reliable workflow, letting you explore the new features of 5.0 Alpha without disrupting your current work.
A Glimpse into the Future: Blender 5.0 Alpha Highlights
The bulk of the presenter’s discussion focused on the groundbreaking advancements in Blender 5.0 Alpha. The sheer volume of updates across nearly every module is a testament to the dedicated development team.
ACES & HDR – Blender Today LIVE #264 by Blender
Revolutionizing Color Management & Rendering
One of the most significant updates comes from Brecht Van Lommel in Color Management. Blender 5.0 Alpha introduces:
- ACES 2.0 and Rec. 2100 PQ view transforms, alongside HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) support for HDR content.
- Automatic HDR detection on supported systems (macOS, Linux with Wayland/Vulkan), streamlining the HDR workflow.
- New color picker options: Linear, Perceptual, and HSV.
Cycles, under the extensive work of Lukas Stockner and others, sees dramatic improvements:
- “Null scattering” for volumes significantly reduces memory costs, fixes boundary issues, and improves quality for thin volumes.
- Adaptive subdivision tessellation is now processed in parallel, leading to substantial speedups – some tests show a task completing in just 1 second, down from 9!
- The renderer now supports compiling with CUDA 13.0, OptiX 9.0 (thanks to Nvidia), and HIP SDK 6.4.2 on Windows.
Advanced Compositing and Geometry Nodes
The Compositor receives a powerful overhaul, with new additions including:
- A new “Convert to Display” node with options for color space, display view, and look.
- A new “Convolve” node for complex glare effects.
- Redesigned File Output and Render Layers nodes for better UI/UX.
- Input nodes now support string and menu sockets, originating from Geometry Nodes, greatly increasing flexibility.
Speaking of Geometry Nodes, the introduction of “Bundles” and “Closures” is a game-changer:
- These new socket and node types enable the creation of reusable functions, like physics simulations or scattering setups, within node trees.
- This is a critical step towards more advanced and efficient procedural workflows, allowing artists to build complex systems with greater ease and reusability.
The Future of Video Editing: The Sequencer’s Leap Forward
Perhaps one of the most exciting developments for many users is the massive overhaul of the Sequencer, spearheaded by Aras. He demonstrated:
- Significant performance gains, with waveform and vectorscope calculations now running on the GPU, supporting HDR content, and offering dynamic labels and detailed scaling.
- Performance tests show EXR image previews jumping from 25fps to 60fps on Mac M4 Max – a truly remarkable improvement for video editors.
- The standout feature: Scene Selector and Scene Time Synchronization, allowing for displaying two independent timelines in the same window. This enables sophisticated storyboarding and video editing by synchronizing a scene’s timeline with a strip in the VSE, effectively allowing “time travel” within Blender and creating a full movie from multiple scenes in one window.
- A new Slip Tool provides dedicated functionality for slipping content within strips, a welcome addition, especially for tablet users.
UI/UX and Workflow Enhancements
Blender 5.0 Alpha also brings a plethora of user interface and workflow improvements:
- Interactive node editor breadcrumbs allow quick navigation through nested node groups.
- Collapsed nodes have a new “fridge-like” appearance with better socket alignment.
- For tablet users, Image Mask Editor tools are now visible in the toolbar, and a new preference allows opening temporary editors in a maximized area.
- The transform status feedback is now centered and easier to read.
- View Layers and Scenes selectors are moving to the properties editor sidebar and will soon become a compact popover in the top bar.
- Even small details like colored icons for edit mode attributes (seams, sharp edges, creases, bevel weights) and a redesigned image output file format menu contribute to a more polished and intuitive experience. The creator emphasized the tablet design workshop that influenced many of these accessibility and UI improvements, showing Blender’s commitment to broader device support.
Insights and Community Contribution
Blender’s commitment to open-source development and its active community are truly the engines of its rapid innovation. The ‘Blender Today’ series, featuring developers like Pablo Vazquez and highlighting the work of many others, offers unparalleled transparency into this process. The fact that the Blender Conference tickets sell out, even with a waiting list, speaks volumes about the passion and growth of its user base. This constant feedback loop and dedication from core developers and the community ensure that Blender continues to push boundaries.
Many of these advancements, particularly in areas like 3D texture painting and the potential for physics nodes, are often a result of direct community feedback and developer initiatives. You can always engage with the development process through the Blender Community Q&A and support its future at fund.blender.org.
Conclusion
Blender 5.0 Alpha is shaping up to be a monumental release, packed with features that enhance both artistic freedom and production efficiency. From cutting-edge color management and rendering to revolutionary Geometry Nodes and a revamped Sequencer, the updates are designed to empower creators. While 4.5.2 LTS provides a stable ground, the future, as showcased by Pablo and the Blender team, looks incredibly bright and full of creative possibilities.
